3.27.2012

I wanted to share with you a chili recipe. I actually fixed this chili for my parents a few days ago when I arrived in Ohio. It's pretty much like any chili, just no meat. I do only use organic canned beans and the chili has vegetable broth in it.

Heat a large sauce pot over medium high heat until hot. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes or until beginning to brown and stick to the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup broth and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender and most liquid has evaporated. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, beans and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes or until vegetables and beans are tender and sauce is thickened. Stir in black pepper. Serve with cilantro and jalapenos, if using.

*I highly recommend stirring in the cilantro while the chili is still simmering. It gives the chili a very good taste. I also added 4 cans of kidney beans because I like thicker chili. It's better to buy all Organic canned beans and tomatoes. If they aren't Organic, a lot of times they will have added sugar and other things you don't NEED. Then the chili ends up not being healthy.

3.26.2012

I made it to Ohio yesterday. I was way to busy catching up with my parents and friends to have time to blog. I actually stayed up for a whole 24 hours yesterday. I haven't done that in a long time and honestly didn't think I could anymore!!! The drive yesterday was longer and it did feel like I was never going to get there....

Missouri sky in the morning

The "highlight" of my day was when I finally reached Indiana and knew that it wasn't much longer before I would reach Ohio.

Driving through Indianapolis always stresses me out! I just don't get it, but the speed limit is 55 and they usually go 85. They think that highway 465 is like for INDY 500 tryouts or something. I am a nervous wreck when I drive through there and I just feel my body tense up. So just be careful if you ever travel through the Indianapolis area.

Illinois Farm - "It all starts with a seed"

I am here now and ready to have some fun and relax. I gotta say though being here does make me appreciate Wyoming more. I really enjoy the scenery in Wyoming. Mountains are awesome! Today I went to the Cincinnati Zoo and plan to show you some of my favorite photos tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

3.24.2012

I left this morning to start my 19 hour drive to Ohio, which I will take 2 days to do. I left at 6:00 a.m. and drove till 2:45 p.m.! {593 miles / stopped in Missouri} This was the first time ever that I got more then 3 - 4 hours of sleep. I never can get sleep before a road trip. Last night I got around 7 hours of sleep...

I was feeling pretty good this morning. I have to admit though that I almost cried when I said goodbye to Cody. I hate being away from him. I know it's silly and I am just being a baby. Sometimes I think I love him too much! (I'm kidding!) I am excited to see my friends and family, but I will look forward to coming back to Wyoming to be with Cody. It's a shame that he couldn't come with me.

The sky was beautiful today....It was nice to see GREEN landscape....

I passed this truck four times today. I couldn't believe that he went the exact same route that I did. I didn't stay on the same highway the entire trip. I would stop to get gas and still catch right back up with him again. I just love anything that has to do with England, that is why this truck stood out to me.

I love being out on the road and being able to sing to my IPOD playlist really loud, but it is tiring. Now I plan to get some rest.

3.21.2012

This week I have been planning and packing. Trying to get my head screwed on straight. I kinda go into planning panic mode when I have a trip/vacation. I will be driving to Ohio starting early Saturday morning. I pretty much have all my clothes packed and most of my stuff is organized.

I got the above cooler bags from Walmart. I didn't want to buy the typical ugly red and white plastic cooler. With my new plant based diet, I have to bring some food to last me those first few days on the road. It will be interesting visiting family and friends and not being able to really go out to eat with them. We'll see how it goes! :)

Cody's list reminding him to miss me!!!

I have lists everywhere in the house. A list on the fridge of things I don't want Cody to forget to do, the bills that need paid while I am gone, a long shopping list of things I hope to find in Ohio and a list of everything I am scared I will forget to pack. If I didn't have all these lists I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I have my hotel room booked in Missouri. (I decided not to drive through IOWA this time.) I have the address in the GPS and google map directions printed out also.

I don't think I can lift my suitcase it's so full. I always seem to over pack no matter what. I took winter and summer clothes, since everywhere in the country seems to be warmer right now! Yet it's going to be chilly this weekend in Ohio. I also want to look "cute" so I planned some outfits. Also with my new diet I am able to wear clothes that have always been to tight to wear in the past. So it's almost like a whole new wardrobe! I also am taking like 6 pairs of shoes. I think my guy friend I am staying with is going to get a good laugh at how much crap I packed!!! I plan to visit family and friends in Ohio for 2 - 3 weeks or till I run out of money!!! I plan to keep blogging, but they will not be decorating or fashion posts. So, unless you care about my "adventures" in Ohio, then stop back by in a few weeks. LOL

Do you watch The Walking Dead?

It's our favorite show. They just had their season finale and Cody and I are going to have withdrawals. I always hate waiting for a TV series to start up again. At least I know I probably won't have nightmares about zombies for awhile now! The last episode was full of so many ugly zombies. I hid my face in my shirt a lot during the show. The Walking Dead has absolutely nothing to do with me going to Ohio, I just wanted to talk about it.

I leave this Saturday for Ohio and won't be there till Sunday afternoon. I have a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo and maybe the Columbus Zoo planned. A lot of shopping! Visiting my IKEA store that I miss so very much and catching up with my friends! Hope you'll stop by next week to check out some of my pictures. I plan to take like 9000 of them....

Cut up kale and put in large salad bowl, add the spinach leaves and mix with the kale. Drain the beans and add them to the salad. Crumble the Tofu over the salad and mix in. In a separate bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar and Italian seasoning. Pour dressing over the salad and mix in. Serve immediately or chill until ready to use.

The dressing has a very tart taste, so you may want to make that to taste. Cody loved it, but I thought it was to strong.

We did change the recipe a bit from the original recipe I found on Whole Foods Market. We decided to try adding the Tofu. It's a great way to add more protein to the meal. It was really good. The dressing is made from Dijon Mustard & Apple Cider Vinegar....

We also added some nutritional yeast seasoning on top of the salad, which kinda is like adding "cheese" without using diary. The dressing was really tart, but Cody loved it. Next time I will have him make it with less mustard.....

It was a really yummy salad! I plan to add chick-peas and sunflower seeds next time.

3.18.2012

I officially do not have a job at the animal shelter anymore. It is a bittersweet feeling. It is a decision that I feel I had to make. I feel also it was the right decision. Considering that from the first few weeks of working there I wanted to quit. I was warned by co-workers of the amount of drama involved with working at the place. People just love to gossip and pretty much NOT get a long. Working with the animals I loved, sadly the other sh*t got in the way.

On a positive note, I did give the proper 2 week notice. I was told that I would be missed and to please reapply in the future, because I would always be welcomed back. They are working on correcting the problems there because I stood up and SAID SOMETHING. I couldn't just watch the daily drama unfold without putting my 2 cents in. They appreciated that and are looking for ways to prevent it from happening in the future. Personally I believe it's just a few people causing it all to happen and if they weren't there, the place would run more smoothly. Isn't this how it always is???

Last month I posted a picture of Powder, probably my favorite dog ever at the shelter. She had been hit by a car and we nursed her back to health. When people would walk by her cage she would be scared and cower down. If myself or one of the other employee's walked by she would run to the door and wag her tail. She would shower you with love and kisses. She knew all of us that worked there and we became her comfort. She didn't get looked at very often and she had been in the shelter for over 2 months. A few Saturdays ago I was lucky enough to finally do an adoption counsel with her. I was so thrilled when I met this young couple who asked me to get Powder out for them.

We all went into the visitation room together so they could meet Powder. She was very scared and clung to me. We all sat on the floor to make her more comfortable and to be on her level. She basically sat on my lap and hid from the couple wanting to adopt her. She wanted nothing but to be a lap dog and lick my face. Yes, a Pit-bull a lap dog. It was really cute. They could clearly see that she was a sweet dog, she just was very shy with people she didn't know. They were drawn to her because of her story and background. She just needed a loving family who could understand her past. Not only was this adoption special to me, it was also the longest adoption I had ever done. It lasted nearly 2 hours. By the end of the counsel Powder was licking their faces and letting them pet her. It was probably the most rewarding thing that I did the whole 3 months I worked at the shelter. It left my heart full of love and happiness. It is the reason people work at shelters in the first place. Of course they adopted her. I knew they were perfect for Powder! I was relieved that I can quit my job at the shelter knowing that at least I helped Powder get a forever home.

Working with shelter animals is all about that, finding animals forever homes. That is what I loved about my job. It is sad that I felt I needed to quit for my mental health and sanity due to all the unnecessary crap that was happening there. Leave it to people to ruin something good. Oh well. Life goes on. At least I know I can go back in the future if I want to. Now I plan my visit to Ohio to see family and friends. When I get back, we'll see where life takes me.....

I also wanted to share with you some things that you can do to help your local animal shelter. Yes you can donate money or your time, but they also can always use items that are so easy to donate. Our shelter was always looking for basic items like these:

These are just the basics! Any of it helps. I am sure you could easily call your local shelter for a list of things they can use. Also, some of the best things you can do to volunteer is walking dogs and socializing the cats. It's fun and rewarding for you and very helpful to the animals and the staff!

Hello & Welcome. My name is Jessie.
I blog about my love for design, nature & life.
I take lots of pictures & share many of them here on my blog. I eat plants, not animals.
I love to decorate, thrift & ride my bike.
I am passionate about the environment & enjoy spreading awareness through my blog. I strive to inspire people and hope that’s just what I do.
I hope you will stay a while.